This year marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen and Winchester Cathedral has partnered with local organisations to celebrate her legacy with a wide-ranging programme of events from the world premiere of a new digital light and sound show, special worship, flowers, talks, a family trail, the display of a little-known poem, and its first Regency Ball.
The highlight will be the unveiling of the Jane Austen statue, an outdoor memorial specially commissioned by The Cathedral Chapter who have worked closely and collaborative with Martin Jennings, one of the country’s leading figurative sculptors. It will be life-sized, an elegant figure with her characteristic ringlets and cap standing beside her famous writing table. It will be sited in front of No 9 the Close.
The Dean of Winchester, the Very Revd Catherine Ogle, said:
“Winchester Cathedral has the enormous privilege of being the final resting place of Jane Austen, and her life and her legacy live on.
“We are working with regional and local partners to ensure that Jane’s 250th anniversary celebrations are truly memorable, leaving a legacy for generations to come.
“I look forward to seeing this most loved of English novelists, daughter of a clergy household, standing in the surrounds of the Close and providing another focal point within Hampshire for visitors.”
Starting off events, her legacy will be explored during the Church Times Festival of Faith and Literature that opens on February 28 in the cathedral. This year the festival, which features the very best new fiction and non-fiction with a faith perspective, includes a talk on ‘The Spirituality of Jane Austen’, and a reflection on ‘Jane Austen’s irony at the opening of Pride and Prejudice’.
March sees the world premiere of The Storytellers, an immersive son et lumière event created by Luxmuralis that celebrates literature, poetry, and the oral traditions, and honours the literary giants. Visitors will be transported into realms of fantasy, romance, science fiction, and adventure, all set to a new score.
There will be Regency-themed flower displays, the first Regency Ball will be held in the cathedral at the end of May, there’s a rare opportunity to see a poem by Jane Austen displayed in the Kings & Scribes exhibition, tours, an interactive family trail and talks by Austen experts.
And in October there will be a Jane Austen Anniversary Service and the unveiling of the new Jane Austen Statue.
Jane Austen lived all her life in Hampshire and died in Winchester and is buried in the north nave aisle of Winchester Cathedral. Visitors travel from around the world throughout the year to pay their respects often leaving letters and flowers next to Jane Austen’s brass memorial plaque, at the side of her grave. There are candle stands and quiet chapels for people to find a still moment to sit and reflect.
More here.
